If It's All for Him, It Could All Be for Naught (Pt5)
by AndroidEvian
Summary: Akiza learns a bit of Yusei's strong feelings through Jack, and while the potential couple is on a date meant to help them blossom, disaster wilts their chances of love temporarily.


"Why?!" I exclaimed. "I didn't do anything!"

"That's not what he thought." He continued, still focused on the road. "Trudge had a video showing that you tried to push another duelist off the road."

"But you know I would never…"

"Yes we all know you'd never do that!" Jack hissed. "But you know how the Officer is. When he has "proof" presented to him, he takes it up with his boss and does nothing to prove the accused person innocent."

"So how did Yusei convince him to let me go?" I asked, wondering how anyone could budge Officer Trudge from his post as a police-man.

"He dueled him of course. Told Trudge everything you'd done that week. You were with him throughout pretty much all of it, weren't you?" I nodded, recalling that we'd visited a restaurant together.

"So he convinced the Officer that you weren't guilty. Hell, he even grabbed the tape, threw it in the VCR, and pointed out the flickering of your shape on the duel runner." He said. "That means someone had terrible photo shop skills, and what 'you' were riding didn't even look like your duel runner to be."

"You haven't told me what you're getting at here though." I said, the wind roaring over the sound of my voice.

"Yusei likes you, Akiza." Misinterpreting his words I replied,

"He'd have to if he wanted to be my friend so much!" Jack twisted a wild U-turn on the street, leaving me hanging onto just the circular rim of his duel runner before he pulled me back in.

"Let me rephrase that; He's in love with you. Madly so." I shook my head, washing off his rubbish.

"I don't think he's madly in love with anyone," I scoffed. "He didn't even find someone in Satellite."

"That's why he likes you!" Jack argued. "Because you're not some rot out Satellite girl."

"Satellite, no. Was I rotten to the core once? Yes." Jack shook his head, taking the road back to the house.

"I tried to get you out here so you could understand what he's feeling for you." He said. "But I guess you don't want to admit that to yourself." This struck me like a dagger to the head. "Because if for a moment you allowed yourself to feel him; you wouldn't be able to stand on your own feet again." We entered the garage of the house, and Jack took off his helmet, helping me off the duel runner.

"Thank you… for the ride." I told him, looking him in the eyes respectfully.

"Nothing to mind. Anytime you need one from a friend, just ask me." He walked out, and I was left to think about everything he said. He'd said a ride from a friend. I suppose that meant Yusei was more. Walking to my room, I lay down on the bed, confused, thoughtful, appreciative and impatient all at once. School didn't kick out for another 6 hours. This was indeed a boredom tragedy. I could try to sleep it away, but I'd look like hell when I woke up, and the Gazette concert started pretty much right after school. Maybe just a nap… I set my alarm for 3:30, purchased two tickets online, and let myself go back to bed, gathering the missing sleep I didn't get this morning.

When I awoke it was strange that the sun was already halfway down the sky. Making no suspicious note of this, I pulled myself out of the bed and walked into the shower for a quick clean up. The water felt good spiking down on my skin, and I undid my hair. Setting the hair roller aside, I ran the soap over my body, letting its silky feel wash all the dead skin off me. I wonder… is this what it feels like to have a butterfly graze your skin? Taking the shampoo from the bar next to me, I lathered it into my hair, scratching out the faint dandruff on my skull. I scratched so vigorously, I saw a bit of blood run out on my hands, washing it off without a care. Rinsing my head to pour on the conditioner, I took a glance of its clear bottle on the shelf. As I grabbed it though, I screamed.

That terrible face… the face of that dark, insane Akiza I wish I'd never created was staring right back at me. She turned with a psychopathic smile, offering me a rose. I dropped it fast, the glass shattering on the floor of the tub. I stumbled backwards in the tub, terribly afraid. I saw nothing in the shards of the bottle in a conditioner mess, though and trembled, wrapping a towel around myself, but unable to move from the spot. Yusei's voice was calling for me, along with Luna and Leo's. I heard them open the door, trembling in the corner of the bath. Leo's face turned bright red, and Luna covered his eyes. Yusei stepped forward, looking down on me with a worried stare.

"Akiza… what's going on?" I felt my eyes grow moist with tears from staring at him so long.

"Akiza…?" Luna said my name, just as worried as Yusei. Gradually, Yusei took my hand, leading me out of the tub full of shattered glass.

"Y-Yusei… help me! P-please… I'm scared! Yusei…" I whispered, terrified. God was I pathetic...

"Hey," He said, kneeling to hold me. "Look at me." At first I couldn't do anything for how bad I was shaking, but he turned my to face him, his eyes gentle.

"I'm here. You're safe now. I promise." He held me to his chest, stroking down my bare shoulder blades. Slowly, my trembling dissipated, leaving me wrapped in Yusei's arms, the familiar scent of pine and fresh cut grass on his uniform. It was a familiar, calming scent, and my mind reverted to its calm, logical state.

"Yusei, I…" I was about to say something very important, but as Yusei released me, the knot in my towel came undone.

"AH, DON'T LOOK!" I covered myself with my arms and Luna ran out of the room fast, still covering Leo's eyes.

"Sorry!" Yusei apologized, stumbling out of the bathroom with his eyes covered. I heard the door to my room slam shut, and after the intense humiliation of this moment was over, I went to my dresser outside the built-in bathroom, and picked out my clothes. Oh my God… I thought Things will never be the same after this incident. Everything's going to be really awkward. And every time he looks at me he's only going to be able imagine me without my towel. ;-; This is horrible… Pulling on my clothes with saddened, mortified thoughts, I held the printed tickets in my hand, lying on my bed and wondering if I had bought them both for no reason.

With a pale face, I walked downstairs, hoping nothing would be so awkward I wouldn't even be able to face my friend. Even so, it had been a very, very shameful experience. Accidental or not, this was going to be tough. Yusei was at the coffee dispenser, clearly replenishing his energy from today's exams. No doubt he needed a caffeine boost. As casually as I could, I said hi, pouring myself a cup.

"So um…" I did my best to stay under control, but I couldn't help thinking about it. "I was w-wondering…" my face reddened and I looked down at my feet, which were suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world. "I… never mind." I turned, my face burning with humiliation, but Yusei touched my shoulder.

"Just say it." I turned back towards him, taking a breath to steady myself.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to The Gazette concert with me today. I've bought tickets, and it starts very soon." With a look of decision, he asked how soon it started. I told him noon in the New Domino Amusement Park. It was a 45 minute walk and a thirty minute drive. Right now it was 11:30, from what I could see school had kicked out a bit early since everyone had probably finished their tests in advance.

"I…" waiting patiently for Yusei's reply, I thought about how to cope with the disappointment if he said no. Let's see… I could always cry, since he had seen me naked only minutes before. I could drink it away with Jack and Crow. Option three? An absolute no. Or maybe… "

"Akiza?" I looked up at him. "I'll go with you. And I have a present for you."

"A present?" I repeated, smiling curiously.

"Yeah," He replied, taking me to the garage. "Come on." We walked into the garage where all the vehicles were, and so began the rev of Yusei's engine on the pavement. Roaring out of the garage and onto the city streets, I rested on his shoulder.

"When do I get my present?" I asked, the wind howling over my voice.

"Just wait," He told me. "Be patient and you'll get it." I nodded, still curious, but not asking anymore questions. A popular song, "Vistlip" by OZONE played through the radio, and I sang along with it, and Yusei joined in. Like two crazy kids, we rode beside and around cars, getting angry honks from the drivers of the cars. This was "the road". All that could fit through would get through, whether it was a Satellite kid and a witch or the King of New Domino City. That was the law.

The amusement park came into view after maybe fifteen minutes more of this, a bright banner over its gates showing a photo of The Gazette. I could hear a song, "Chizuru," drifting through the gates, the vocalist's admirable voice smoothing over the noise of the crowd. I gave the guy at the gates our tickets hastily and pulled Yusei through the gate hastily, eager to get a front row stand and hear the guitar riff I knew was coming. It blared loudly through the crowd, leaving me in awe of the beauty of music. The crowd around us screamed with excitement, jumping off their feet and waving their hands in the air as the singer, Ruki, slapped a couple of them high-fives.

After this song was "Distress and Coma" one I'd marked as a favorite in the past month, and Yusei seemed to enjoy it equally as well. Screaming and waving my hands up high, I got a little closer. One of the band members, the bassist Reita, took my hand and kissed it. Blushing intensely, I turned back to Yusei, who looked jealous, not just because it was a romantic notion, but because I'd "touched" a band member. With a star struck look in my eyes I pulled back, Reita giving me a wink and his number with the other hand. The girls around me squealed with excitement. Beside me, Yusei gave a half smile, but I could see he was still envious.

"Alright!" Ruki shouted, ending Distress and Coma. "Reita is going to choose a guest from the audience to perform with us." All the girls waved their hands, screaming everything "Pick me," to "Have my kids." Reita scanned the crowd, looking over at everyone. "You!" He said, pointing directly at me. Blinking with shock, I watched as every set of eyes in the mosh pit turned to look at me. Reddening slightly, I stepped forward, but Yusei grabbed my arm.

"Akiza; you don't have to do this!" I pulled my arm away.

"I want to do this." I stepped forward, letting the blush drain from my cheeks. Reita helped me up on the stage, cupping my chin and examining me through the eyes of his mask.

"She's a pretty one." Uruha commented, Kai, Ruki, Aoi, and Reita nodding. Ruki then stepped to my side, and Kai gathered on my other half.

"Just sing with me," Ruki said. "If you're that into our music, you'll know the lyrics to 'An Unbearable Fact.'" I nodded, and Kai kissed my cheek. The song began, and I stood by the vocalist, scared, but determined to get this right. As the lyrics rolled off Ruki's lips, I followed his lead, chanting the song. It was magical, going up there with one of my favorite artists, just singing with them. I didn't know if I sounded good, but from the reaction of the crowd at the end, I had to guess I was more than average. I was waving to Yusei, who looked really happy for me, but his eyes gave away some worry. I then could see why… As I turned, I met the lips of an eager and obviously passionate Aoi. He hadn't said a word, this whole time, but I could see in his eyes he had a thirst for something… And now he had it.

The crowd screamed with excitement, and although I would have preferred kissing Yusei, the Satellite shy boy, Aoi had me under a spell of desire. His lips were softer than anything I'd ever felt, like velvet flesh. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he squeezed my waist tightly, his fingers sinking into the material of my clothing. I couldn't suppress a small moan, and he automatically pulled me in to fill the gap between our bodies. I'd never experienced anything like this… it was so good, so enchanting… I felt my power slip from my control, violet petals glowing in a wild gale. He bit my lip, and I wrapped a leg around him automatically, no longer in my right mind. Aoi… you are mine… And then it snapped, as I felt a hand on my back.

"Akiza. I think we should leave now." It was Yusei, his eyes hardened with something I'd never seen in them before. He was staring right at Aoi, who was smiling fiendishly. I nodded reluctantly, and let him tear me away from Aoi. After we were out of view and out of the park, Yusei sat me down on a bench, looking into the water of a fountain just in front of it. He seemed hurt, angry, and tangled with emotion…

"Yusei…" I reached out to him, but he slapped my hand away. He then turned to face me with the beautiful, heartbroken stare in those navy ocean eyes.

"Why did you… What made you do that?!" He shouted, running his fingers through his hair. I wanted to say something, anything to comfort his unreasonable grief. But I had nothing.

"I just… I don't know! I've never experienced that with anyone before and I… lost control." Yusei slammed his fists down on the fountain, the stone edifice cracking considerably underneath his angry fists. "I don't understand!" I cried, stepping away from him in fear of his strength. "Why are you so… jealous?!"

"Jealous…?" he repeated, looking at me with a shell shocked expression.

"Yes! That's what it is! That is your hidden emotion!" I shouted, tears beginning to well in my brown eyes. "You're jealous… and you don't even like me…" I growled, the tears brimming over as I hung my head.

"Aki, no you're wrong…" Yusei said, coming closer to embrace me.

"NO!" I screamed, pushing him away. "You think you can be envious… And you pay me none!" His navy ocean eyes were wide, hurt and astonished.

"It was always me!" I sobbed, eyes now streaming with tears. "I did everything! I thought up this whole challenge to try to get closer to you! And you give me nothing!" I continued, clenching my fists. "Don't you think I deserve this?!" I finished, my power beginning to spiral out of my control again. "WELL YOU DON'T DESERVE ME!" In a blast of bright, crimson energy, I disappeared, transferring myself to the only place I had left. My rose garden.

Yusei's POV

I coughed in the smoke of the blast, watching it clear and seeing Akiza was nowhere in sight. She'd disappeared, just like the day I'd met her… And she had every right to. I hadn't given her the right attention, and even if I had, not nearly in the right amounts… But I hadn't seen that. I may have been very protective of Aki, always being the one to hold her when she needed it… But that clearly wasn't enough.

Never once had I made a truly romantic notion towards Aki. I held her hand in our photoshoot, let her put her head against my shoulder, but that could all be done between two endearing friends. She needed more than that… the way she may have seen it, I was filling in for Sayer. And Akiza knew now he was a monster… He was the fiend who turned everyone against her so her hate would grow, intensifying her violent, psychic abilities. Then it was up to me to turn her around… But she wasn't a hundred percent there yet. If I had to guess she still saw that other Akiza…

Every time I heard her scream in terror, it tore at my heart. The way her eyes took on that frightened look, even of herself. Aki was scared to be herself, afraid of what she could do. I saw how she cried in the bathtub, pleading for help… But I could do nothing. And now I had made things worse… But I did have a plan. I went to a gift shop, a very expensive one. I knew something beautiful when I saw it. And it was up to me to get Aki the beautiful thing she needed so I could make everything up. That piece of jewelry would tell her my feelings, and we'd speak again. Selecting my pick, I paid for it in full. I was about to leave, but the cashier stopped me.

"You're going to make her really happy. Just be sure to use your words, okay?" She said, patting my hands.

"I will." I said assertively, making her smile. She then waved goodbye to me, and I looked at my receipt. I was going to need to get some more work done if I wanted to pay my landlord off for this…. As I headed home, my phone tempted me to call Akiza and explain how sorry I was for my reaction, but I knew right now she needed to be alone. I just needed today and tomorrow to pass… if only time would fast forward so I could make it up to her right now…

The rest of the day went by in a bore. I worked with Crow on my duel runner, and Aki's duel runner to be, but without Jack around to insult us on our lack of energy (out with Sherry again -_-) and Akiza around to help us smile, it was all monotony. Akiza didn't even show up for dinner that night, and I could only guess she was sulking in her room. She was probably breaking a lot of things to vent her frustration too, which wasn't healthy, but it would have been worse if she was trying to break someone in a rage duel. Usually when she's angry, it takes a little while to get over it… she just needed today and tomorrow, and then she'd be fine… if not, my plans were for nothing. But at least I'd be giving them a try.

Aki's POV

Screaming into the pillow, I pounded on it while the ground beneath me shook, trying to focus my power on just one thing. The least expensive and lowest value suite item, the pillow. Unfortunately, I still didn't have much control over my powers. I remembered a couple of the "control techniques" Sayer had taught me. He told me not to try to smother it. But let it flow through me, love it. I tried to think of the power as a child, small and neutral in morals. It didn't see right from wrong, nor good from bad. It only knew existence. And what do you do about something neutral? Embrace it.

Holding out my hand in front of a mirror, I envisioned reaching out to the "child" and taking its hand. I then repeated to myself: "Everything in this world is a neutral force. It's how we utilize it that distinguishes it as good or evil." As I closed my fingers into the palm of my hand, I felt a warm, golden sensation run through my veins. It traveled from my fingertips to my shoulder, and then divided into my other arm, torso, chest, legs, feet and head. I felt as though velvet was enveloping my tired body, pulling a cast around all my wounded thoughts and emotions. It was magical. I then released the posture of my body, feeling the velvet cast ebb away. I then lay down on the bed, perfectly calm, and even blissful, let my head down, and slept.

Awaking the next morning, I was fifty percent ready to forgive Yusei. He'd had a reason to be angry, I suppose because he's so close to me. I needed to be fair to him. Although we said nothing at breakfast before school, I politely took the road of yesterday's school walk together with him to our academy. When Yusei looked over at me, I gave him a nod of acknowledgement, neither angry nor happy with his act.

He stared at the ground as we walked, clearly still beating himself up over yesterday. I didn't feel much better after saying what I said, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. So as we walked into duel academy, I ignored people's comments about us two, and sat next to him silently. Today, I would actually need to listen to the teacher. As the Attribute Combining Education teacher droned about combining dark and light attribute monsters, and how terrible an idea it was for your deck, I felt a note slide to me. Picking it up and reading it, I noticed Yusei's neat masculine script on the page.

"Remember Yuaki from yesterday?"

"Couldn't forget her."

"She was a ghost." I dropped the note fast. A… ghost? Scribbling back fervently once I'd regained my composure, I wrote,

"Stop playing games. There's no such thing as ghosts."

"-_- You seriously think I'm lying about this? She up and disappeared from the school grounds as soon as I was in my first class. Serious." He made a point. Yusei was no liar.

"Ok to be fair, I know you're honest. I'm still mad at you though… T-T."

"Yeah I know… You won't be by tomorrow though. ;D" I looked over at him suspiciously.

"What makes you say that…? ." I scribbled.

"You'll see. Just you wait…" that one actually made my spine shiver. I hated waiting. Especially when waiting is accompanied by an expression like a sexual lion on the shyest boy you know.


End file.
